Colorado tries for upset win against Illinois
AY, MARCH 22, 2013
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Mom gets treatment, not prison Judge finds Harvard woman not guilty by reason of insanity of injuring 9-month-old By SARAH SUTSCHEK ssutschek@shawmedia.com WOODSTOCK – A Harvard mother who put a knife down her infant son’s throat has been found not guilty by reason of insanity and will receive inpatient mental health treatment for as long as 30 years. Claudia Mejia, 38, was charged with attempted murder and aggravated battery of a child, both Class X felonies.
A brief bench trial was held Thursday during which the prosecution and Mejia’s attorney, Wes Pribla, agreed on what witnesses would stay if called to the stand. Evidence included the report of Dr. Robert Meyer, a clinical psychologist who found that Mejia was suffering from postpartum psychosis and was severely depressed. Earlier reports from treating physicians stated that Mejia had been mute, immobile and in a catatonic
Claudia Mejia, 38, was charged with attempted murder and aggravated battery of a child, but was found not guilty by reason of insanity. She will be go to a mental health facility. state. Judge Sharon Prather said prosecutors proved beyond a reasonable doubt that Mejia did commit the of-
fenses but that she lacked the capacity to appreciate the criminality of her conduct. Although she was found not guilty, Mejia will not be released. She will be transferred to the custody of the Illinois Department of Human Services and taken to a mental health facility, likely Elgin Mental Health Center. Physicians there have 30 days to provide a report on her treatment. If she is not restored to mental health, she can remain institutional-
ized up to 30 years, which would have been the maximum sentence if she had been convicted. It was unclear whether Mejia, who is not a U.S. citizen, would be deported if she is released. On Dec. 16, 2011, Mejia’s husband, Osvaldo, had been the bathroom when he heard a thump and found his 9-month-old son, Isaac, covered in blood, Assistant State’s Attorney
See RULING, page A6
Ill. House approves limits to pensions
GED TEST TO GET MAKEOVER IN 2014; IMPORTANCE STILL REMAINS
By REGINA GARCIA CANO and SOPHIA TAREEN The Associated Press
Sarah Nader – snader@shawmedia.com
Work study student Rosemary Arnold, 22, of Woodstock works on her homework in between answering phone calls Wednesday at the McHenry County College financial aid front desk in Crystal Lake.
Opening doors through education By LAWERENCE SYNETT lsynett@shawmedia.com Cinda Huber still regrets her decision five years ago to drop out of high school. Finding few work opportunities as a nongraduate without a general equivalency diploma, Huber, now 22, moved often and struggled with homelessness before starting a family.
“I don’t want my son growing up thinking it’s OK to drop out of high school because mommy and daddy did.” Cinda Huber, enrolled in McHenry County College’s GED program She moved to Harvard about a year ago with her husband and 3-year-old son for a fresh start and to be closer to family. The couple also enrolled in the General Edu-
cational Development program at McHenry County College. “I don’t want my son growing up thinking it’s OK to drop out of high school because mommy
and daddy did,” said Huber, who works at MCC as a placement clerk. “We want a better future for ourselves and our son because it’s hard out there, and without a GED, it’s very hard to find well-paying jobs.” Huber is one of thousands nationally trying to earn a GED
SPRINGFIELD – Illinois lawmakers from both parties celebrated a possible breakthrough Thursday in their struggle to solve the multibillion-dollar pension crisis after voting to reduce and delay cost-of-living increases in state employees’ retirement pay – a step the House Republican leader heralded as “the meat and potatoes of pension reform.” Although major obstacles remain, the 66-50 vote in the House generated newfound optimism for a deal because of the money the plan would save. Still, the measure’s fate remains uncertain in the Senate, which a day earlier rejected a comprehensive package of legislation that includes a similar plan. The action signaled the third pension measure to win approval within a week in the House, which has been breaking the tangled issue into pieces – rather than attempting a vote on an across-the-board package all at once – to determine which ones have the best chance of being approved. Even though Thursday’s vote was an early step in a much larger push for reform, both Democratic Rep. Elaine Nekritz of Northbrook, the House pension point person, and Republican Leader Tom Cross of Oswego, called it pivotal. “This was the toughest vote you’re going to face on this issue,” Cross said. “... The meat and potatoes of pension reform happened today.”
See GED, page A6 See PENSION, page A3
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DEBATE PUTS FOCUS ON BUSINESS Two McHenry mayoral candidates, Mayor Sue Low and former Mayor Steve Cuda, drew the largest audience of any of the debates hosted by the McHenry County chapter of the League of Women Voters this election season, several volunteers said. For more, see page B1.
Sarah Nader – snader@shawmedia.com
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McHENRY COUNTY: Home sales and prices were up significantly in February from last year. Business, F1 Vol. 28, Issue 79
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